Just a quick vlog on auto insurance deductibles and some examples of how they work.

Most folks call and ask for full coverage car insurance - one definition of full coverage insurance is a policy which has deductibles to take care of any physical damage which might occur to the vehicle. It was a real "wake-up" call to me and a surprise that less than about 5 people I spoke with in the first 4 years of owning my insurance agency here in Round Rock actually had a clear understanding of how their auto insurance deductibles worked.

There are two types of auto insurance deductibles, Collision and Other Than Collision (abbreviated as OTC or sometimes referred to as Comprehensive).

In this short YouTube video, I talk about both and describe the basics of what they cover.

You can subscribe to my Insurance Vlog at CentralTXInsurance on YouTube. I know insurance can be a boring topic, but I hope we will be able to make it fun and relevant.

Take care and Drive SAFE!

As I have said many times, I truly have the best clients any insurance agency could be blessed to have.

Here is another video testimonial by two of my favorite clients, Bill & Jennifer Thurman.

I met Bill & Jennifer and their two children a little under 3 years ago during a Child I.D. event I was sponsoring at Wal-Mart on F.M. 620 over by Lakeline Mall.

After setting thier kiddos up with Child I.D.s, Bill and I started talking and they invited me to come over to their home to go over their existing auto insurance to see if we would be able to do a better job than the company they were currently with. As it turned out, we were able to, and we went ahead and added a renters insurance policy that day, as well.

During the video you will hear hints of the fact that, at the time, I mentioned life insurance to them, but they were not ready to buy a life insurance policy, so I let it go. But, as you will hear in an upcomming video interview I did with Bill & Jennifer (which, by the way, she speaks a lot more in!), they both just went through a very difficult time, and were gracious enough to share some of the details about it.

Once again, "Thanks Bill & Jennifer!"

The Texas Department of Public Safety recently published the new traffic, and criminal laws set to go into effect Sept. 1st.

I'm encouraged to see some great items like HB 537 & SB 61 which address seatbelts for all passengers in a vehicle including children.

However, while I support awareness of cell phone usage, I am extremely surprised that there is nothing which addresses "texting" in this batch of new laws. HB 55 makes it illegal to use a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used. Cities or counties wanting to enforce this law must post a sign at the beginning of each school zone to inform drivers that using a wireless communications device is prohibited and the operator is subject to a fine. It is a defense to prosecution if the operator was making an emergency call. I like this bill because it addresses the need to pay attention while driving in a school zone, and I guess "texting" is covered because of the implied prohibition of using the wireless communication device for anything except an emergency phone call. However, I would really like to see "texting" specifically addressed in a much broader form.

I do not support banning cell phone usage for talking, and I know there is research to support the opposite opinion along with horribly tragic stories - however, you can make this same argument for anything which diverts your attention from the road - changing a radio station, eating a burger, drinking a soda, etc. I think, though, if a responsible adult is not taking their eyes off the road and does not "dial" or use the keypad while using the phone, that carrying on a conversation via the cell phone is no less distracting than having a conversation with a passenger in the vehicle.

But, let me be clear - Texting is an extreme form of distraction, and this type of behavior needs to be addressed immediately. I think it is crazy that folks are out there, driving a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds at 50 to 70 miles per hour and they choose to text on their mobile device. People need to wake up and realize that their next twitter update is not worth their life! And since our lawmakers have decided not to address this in the latest batch of laws, we need to be responsible and choose to do the right thing and not endanger ourselves or others, just so we can type a message on a small keyboard.

If you need to get a message out badly enough that you would take your eyes off the road to type - CALL INSTEAD! If you cannot call, wait until you are safely out of your vehicle before you text or read a message sent to you.

If you persist in your choice to "text" while driving, I suggest you get in touch with me, so we can put a life insurance policy in force for you.

Please do NOT "text" while driving.

It seems that there are as many versions of Teenager and Parent Driving Contracts as there are teenage personalities out there. Central Texas Insurance - A Mark Lyne Agency firmly believes that a document like this should be worked on by both the parents and the teenager who will agree to it. We have provided a simple one page Teenager - Parent Driving Contract to open the lines of communication between parents and teens.

Of course, you may feel free to use the contract as is, however, we would strongly encourage you to customize it to fit your situation and to include the items which both the parents and teen feel are important. There are plenty of resources on the internet to help you research different elements to add and wording which may help - do not let yourself be caught up in complexity though. Make sure the end result is something that both parties agree on and will live up to.